Anahita

Anahita is a neutral city-state hidden deep within the Kanthar Jungle, built inside an ancient, colossal tree known as the Verdant Throne. The tree is believed to be over 10,000 years old, its roots running through the magical ley-lines of Ysanaf. The city operates outside of empire borders and political allegiances, maintaining a fiercely guarded neutrality.

Sacred Symbolism of the Tree

The Verdant Throne is not only the city’s foundation, but its living soul.
White Bark = The law of the world — unchanging, eternal, and pure. It is the truth laid bare, cold and unwavering.
Silver Leaves = Dreams of mortals — aspirations, regrets, desires. When a leaf falls, it is said to mark a life-altering dream in someone nearby.
Green Leaves = New ideas, the unformed hopes of youth or fresh visions for the world. In some ceremonies, these leaves are braided into crowns during debate festivals.
Branches = Memories of the world — each large branch is believed to "remember" a major historical event. Sages claim you can feel echoes of the past by meditating on the bark near certain knot

Atmosphere & Soundscape

• At night, the canopy twinkles like a sea of stars. The silver leaves catch starlight and emit a gentle, magical glow.
• The wind through the branches produces harmonic tones—a lullaby-like chime that many believe is the tree singing to the city. It's used in bedtime rituals, meditation, and sometimes legal oaths.

Government

Anahita believes that even the most dangerous mages have value—as scholars, cautionary examples, or sources of insight. Some prisoners work off their sentence via magical research under tight supervision, especially in the study of unstable or forbidden Artts. Others act as expert witnesses during major tribunals, offering interpretations of magical law, insight into criminal Artt theory, or historical context to forgotten spells. This testimony is valuable but dangerous—many former inmates become cult figures for their radical ideas.

Infrastructure

Vertical Layering: The city is built in concentric vertical layers within the Verdant Throne, accessible by a network of spiral ramps, hanging lifts (powered by wind Artts and root-pulley systems), and elevators grown directly from the tree’s living tissue.
Bioluminescent Lighting: Interior spaces are illuminated by bioluminescent moss and glowfruit bulbs. The tree’s heartwood pulses with light, dimming or brightening with the passage of time—Anahita has no artificial timekeeping system; the tree keeps its own.
Sky Balconies: Large branch balconies open to the canopy, offering breathtaking views of the Kanthar Jungle and the twin river Nara. These act as social spaces, marketplaces, and even housing for the affluent.

Districts

Upper Boughs: Twin Courts

• International Court of Justice (ICJ): Deals with intercontinental disputes, war crimes, and violations of universal law.
• Magical Tribunal of Artts (MTA): Deals with intercontinental disputes, war crimes, and violations of universal law. Judges here are powerful Artt-users, Residual Artt Scribes, and senior Magha Trackers

The Rootbound Vault – Magical Prison

• Located in the entangled roots beneath the city, the prison is an ecosystem of sentient roots, residual magic, and enchantments.
• No bars—only living root cells that shape themselves around each prisoner.
• Responsive bindings that detect any attempt to use magic or escape. The roots constrict, fill Magha, or even psychically paralyze a prisoner.

1. Upper Boughs (Judicial District)

Seat of the Twin Courts (ICJ and MTA)​.

• Marble-like platforms carved from tree bark, floating or suspended between boughs.
• Elite magistrate housing and diplomatic embassies (temporary, strictly monitored).

2. Midbark (Civic & Residential District)

Majority of citizens live here: scholars, scribes, tree-tenders, artisans, and tribunal staff.

• Tree-grown homes spiraling around massive knot-cores. Houses bloom like pods and open with light or voice Artts.
• Includes schools, food gardens, and study halls.

3. Heartbranch Commons (Cultural District)

Home to Anahita’s art, music, and folklore.

• Open-air amphitheater carved in a hollow limb, with natural acoustics enhanced by sound Artts.
• Public memory gardens: each tree sprout represents a historical event or former Fukuoro’s wisdom.
• Dreamwell Archives: a temple-library storing written visions from High Priestesses and inmate prophecies.

4. Rootbound Vault (Magical Prison)

Beneath the tree, protected by sentient root cells​.

• Prisoners aren’t just locked up—they're magically bound, monitored by Magha Trackers.
• Surrounding the vault is a sanctioned research zone, where redeemed inmates assist with Artt theory under watch.

5. Nara Reach (Waterfront & Agriculture)

Lower edge of the tree reaches toward the Nara River, one of Jakkurin’s twin life-streams.

• This river is both symbolic and practical: it provides clean water, is used in purification rituals, and supports lush hanging farms and fishponds.
• Water Artt-users regulate irrigation while balancing the root system’s health.

History

According to legend, Anahita’s tree was a sapling planted by Quisai herself to serve as a reminder that law without wisdom is tyranny, and magic without restraint is ruin. As the tree grew, so too did its symbolic importance. The Verdant Throne became a beacon of balance between nature, law, and artts.

Points of interest

The Verdant Seat: A throne grown into the living core of the tree where the chief magistrates preside over momentous trials. The tree subtly bends toward it, as if listening.
Spiral of Echoes: A meditation spiral near the canopy’s tip, lined with living murals made from bark etchings and glowing sap. Here, voices of past prisoners echo faintly—a place of remembrance and caution.
The Rootmirror: A shallow pool at the base of the tree where the residual Magha manifests into dreamlike reflections. Sometimes, it speaks.
The Archive of Forbidden Artts: Deep within the Heartbranch Commons, access is granted only to authorized scholars. The tree itself hides the entrance.

Geography

Hidden in the heart of the Kanthar Jungle, nestled near a great bend in the Nara River (one of Jakkurin’s twin rivers)​.

Climate

Humid and warm, with seasonal rains channeled down natural rain gutters within the tree. The canopy moderates heat and filters sunlight through green-gold hues. Mist rises in the early mornings, and glowing fungi bloom at night. The tree is alive to the climate, it changes color subtly with humidity, shifting between mossy green and silver-barked tones.

Location under

Jakkurin